Goldrausch in Alaska S02E03-Familien-Zoff
Die Goldsucher richten sich am Klondike-River auf ihrem neuen Claim ein. Todds Vater Jake ebnet mit der Planierraupe das Gelände, geht dabei aber ein wenig planlos zu Werke. Das passt seinem ungeduldigen Sohn überhaupt nicht. Da die Männer durch ihren Umzug Richtung Dawson City schon genug Zeit verloren haben, muss jetzt jeder Handgriff sitzen. Doch Jake möchte erst einmal austesten, was die neue Maschine kann und reagiert auf den Anpfiff des Juniors extrem beleidigt. Schließlich packt der 65-jährige Goldgräber-Veteran wutentbrannt seinen Kram und zieht von dannen. Wenn die beiden Streithähne ihren Familien-Zwist nicht schnellsten in den Griff bekommen, gerät das ganze Projekt in Gefahr. (Text: DMAX)
Transcript
00:00At the Quartz Creek claim in the Klondike, Todd Hoffman and his crew are on the hunt for the boundary of their new gold claim.
00:10We're looking for the corner post on the mine.
00:12Let me go look at this post here and see what number it is.
00:15We're trying to figure out exactly where the claim is.
00:18You do not want to start driving equipment and making cuts in something that's not yours.
00:23The whole key is just getting those posts found.
00:26They're looking in this forest for seven-foot wooden posts used to mark this claim 40 years ago.
00:32You find one?
00:33How would you say this runs?
00:34I see a ribbon tied down there.
00:36The posts will outline an area that landowner Greg McNeil believes holds millions of dollars in gold.
00:43There it is, I think, maybe.
00:44Nope.
00:45That is not it.
00:46Somebody else's.
00:49At the start of their second mining season, the Hoffman crew lost their Porcupine Creek claim to rival Dakota Fred.
00:57The Dakota boys own Porcupine Creek claim.
01:00I'm going to mine this claim this year.
01:02The Hoffmans had no choice but to head north to the Klondike.
01:06And in the middle of a modern-day gold rush, finally secured a new claim.
01:10This is Quartz Creek.
01:12Awesome.
01:13A gold claim with virgin ground.
01:16It's never been touched by any kind of machine ever.
01:19But Quartz Creek is a big risk.
01:21The Hoffmans had no time to test the claim's soil for gold.
01:25Their dream now rests on the word of claim owner Greg McNeil.
01:29At some point we got to trust somebody somewhere.
01:32We don't have much time.
01:37I got a feeling it's right here.
01:39The Hoffman crew is already 21 days into the 150-day season.
01:44Todd has to map his new claim before he can even move in his equipment.
01:49There's a couple more flags over here.
01:53Man, oh man, I should have came over here and located this thing.
01:56It's going to be real close.
01:58Hey Dave, Greg, come here.
02:08Yeah, I'm thinking that might be ours.
02:12The Hoffman crew get their first break of the season.
02:15This is host number one.
02:17And then straight up will be number two.
02:21I'm going to walk straight through here and see if I can find that other post.
02:26I think that's it.
02:28This is looking good.
02:30There it is, right there.
02:32Number two.
02:33So here's what you guys have got all the way up to here.
02:36Of almost about a mile.
02:38So that's several years worth of mining right there.
02:42The Hoffman's new land covers two 500 by 1,000 foot claims.
02:47They will mine the ground east of the creek where they hope the virgin ground is.
02:52And on the west side of the creek, they'll clear the land and move in their mining equipment.
02:56We're mining here, camp's there, we're ready to go.
03:00And this is good stuff.
03:02This is good stuff.
03:03I think we've got a plan.
03:05Yep, we've got a plan.
03:08600 miles south, in Porcupine Creek, Alaska,
03:12Dakota Fred looks over the Hoffman's old wash plant.
03:16Gold mining's got a lot to do with differences of opinion.
03:21And whoever's running the show, their opinion is the most important.
03:26Fred bought the wash plant and other equipment from the Hoffman's for $80,000
03:30when they abruptly left Porcupine earlier in the season.
03:34But Fred is not a fan.
03:36And I'll be happy to be rid of it.
03:39From the moment Fred arrived at Porcupine Creek last season,
03:43he wanted to alter the Hoffman's wash plant.
03:45He clashed with mechanic James Harness.
03:48But now you've destroyed this thing.
03:51I totally, absolutely disagree.
03:55Now that he has taken over Porcupine, he wants to lose the Hoffman wash plant altogether.
04:02We just feel this is way too inefficient,
04:05too prone to break down.
04:07We're going to go with our system.
04:09Already 22 days into the season, Fred has to start mining.
04:14He has a radical plan to overhaul the mine.
04:17Fellas, we've got some big news this morning.
04:19We're taking all this crap out of here.
04:22I don't want nothing left.
04:24We're going to have to move everything.
04:26Out with the Hoffman's and in with the Dakota boys.
04:28Yeah!
04:30First on the list, the shaker.
04:33But holding it in place is a steel bulkhead.
04:36It's buried deep in the dirt and secured with steel cables.
04:40It's not going anywhere without a lot of work.
04:43Here's a couple of little cables tied around this thing.
04:46Probably going to have to dig it out.
04:56Cut clear?
04:58Yes, sir.
05:00The 4 sides of the bulkhead are disconnected.
05:03Now they need to remove the front to slide the shaker out.
05:07But Fred and rigger Darren are getting nowhere with their shovels.
05:10It's a waste of time.
05:12Fred takes charge and jumps into the 270 excavator.
05:16Hold on, Fred. What do I need to do?
05:18Fred decides to use brute force.
05:20Just run the chain underneath it,
05:22so when he pulls on it, it should pull it straight out, I'm hoping, in theory.
05:26Don't cut the chain.
05:28Fred's breaking point is 2,000 pounds.
05:31But the crew has no idea just how deep the bulkhead is buried.
05:35A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
05:38If a chain has been stretched, then somewhere in that chain,
05:42that weakest link is going to be the first thing to snap.
05:45Are you guys ready?
05:47If you get hit with a chain that snaps,
05:49it will very easily take a leg completely off.
05:52I mean, it will cut the meat, the bone, the tenon, everything.
05:58All right, everybody set? Let's go!
06:17Is that chain going to pull on?
06:21Whoa!
06:25What did you break? Chain?
06:27Damn, that didn't work so well.
06:30Pull the chain out of there.
06:32The chain just misses Darren.
06:34The bulkhead didn't budge,
06:36and Fred reverts to the slow but safer approach.
06:39Dig it out.
06:41But instead of shovels, this time they use the 270.
06:46All right, Dustin, drag some iron out there.
06:50Here we go!
06:56In no time at all,
06:58the 270 excavator easily drags out the 25,000 pounds shaking.
07:03Walk it over the dug pile.
07:05While he doesn't plan to use the 270,
07:08he's got a plan.
07:10Fred needs the cash.
07:12Every day he doesn't find gold, he loses money.
07:17While Dakota Fred exercises the demons of last year,
07:21Parker Schnabel's operation across the creek,
07:24the Big Nugget Mine, is running.
07:30We're trying to do 5,000 pounds.
07:33We're trying to do 5,000 pounds.
07:36We're trying to do 5,000 pounds.
07:39We're trying to do five loads an hour,
07:41but usually I don't get that many.
07:47The dirt running through Parker's plant is tailings,
07:50material that his grandpa discarded 20 years ago.
07:53Running the old tailings is all part of his master plan
07:57to turn the mine around.
08:05There we go.
08:07It's working.
08:09They're getting bigger.
08:13Three weeks ago,
08:1516-year-old Parker took over the mine
08:18from his 91-year-old grandpa.
08:20Thanks, Grandpa.
08:22His first decision to recycle old tailings was risky.
08:25Hopefully there's a pile of gold sitting in there somewhere.
08:28But after only one day running the old material,
08:31he found gold.
08:33That's nice.
08:35That's a good day.
08:37Three-fifths of an ounce, which is about $800.
08:40But Parker needs a lot more gold
08:42to turn a profit at the Big Nugget Mine.
08:45July 1st, I'm gonna run out of money.
08:49So it's kind of important to have a good month here.
08:53At the end of another day,
08:55the crew has run dirt for eight hours,
08:57but there's still a pile of tailings to load.
09:00There's no sense in doing stuff around here
09:03that can be done while the plant's running
09:06when there's other work to be done.
09:08You two, you guys have a half hour, don't you?
09:11This crew has answered to Grandpa John for ten years.
09:15Parker is finding it hard to earn their respect.
09:18Yeah, you can run the excavator, and Gary, you can run the truck.
09:26I guess that's a no.
09:30That's a no.
09:35It makes me not feel like the boss.
09:38It is 22 days into the season,
09:41and if Parker can't win over his crew soon,
09:44he'll never turn Big Nugget around.
09:47Up ahead, young Parker shows up as mining elders.
09:51That nugget's a third of an ounce.
09:54Dakota Fred gets sweet justice,
09:56finding gold and dirt the Hoffmans left behind.
09:59Yeah!
10:01Push some of that rock into the freaking hole.
10:04And after falling further behind in their make-or-break mining season,
10:08father and son have a big falling out,
10:11forcing Jack to call it quits.
10:14I'm not the kind of person that you push around.
10:27Okay, guys, this is the big one.
10:29If you have to, slow it down.
10:31Up north in the Klondike,
10:33Todd Hoffman heads to his gold claim at Quartz Creek.
10:36There's a big rock sticking out.
10:39Be careful.
10:43With Todd's new gold claim mapped out and ready to be mined,
10:47he leads trucker Tom Fenton along a treacherous mountain road
10:51down to the claim.
10:54Tom is hauling a piece of equipment that is key to their success.
10:58I'm liking the looks of it so far.
11:00Thing looks pretty good.
11:02This is it, huh?
11:04In the off-season, Todd bought a D8 dozer to clear the land.
11:08It cost $37,000.
11:10Man, we'll take it.
11:12Very good.
11:14It put Todd even deeper in the hole.
11:16But this year, Todd has to find gold, or the dream is over.
11:20We'll get the gold in the end.
11:22You just have to keep the faith.
11:25The Hoffmans have lost 23 days of the mining season.
11:29The arrival of the D8 is a welcome sight.
11:34Yeah, it feels good.
11:36I didn't feel like I was really mining
11:38until I actually get the dozer here.
11:40Running the D8 will cost Todd hundreds of dollars every day.
11:44That is sweet.
11:47The pressure is on.
11:49It's a do-or-die situation for a lot of these guys, and for me also.
11:54I want it to work.
11:56If we don't get gold this time, we're in trouble.
12:02Champing at the bit, Jack starts up the D8.
12:06The land on the west side of Quartz Creek needs to be cleared
12:10so they can set up the wash plant near the virgin ground.
12:14But after an hour, the ground still isn't flat.
12:18It's a mess.
12:20My dad's not a planner.
12:22He's up there, he's pivoting.
12:24He did a 360 over there.
12:26He came over here.
12:28It's his hole here.
12:30He can't just get on there because he's fun to drive in.
12:33We all want to do that.
12:35But not this year.
12:37So, tough.
12:39I'm not putting up with it.
12:44Please tell me you're done.
12:46Big soft hole there, and you're back dragging it,
12:48making it nice and pretty, great.
12:50Push some of that effing rock into the freaking hole.
13:00There's no rhyme or reason.
13:02I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with you.
13:04Listen, that is a frozen hole.
13:07No, shoot, Sherlock, and you're in there pivoting on it.
13:10Go ahead, I don't give a ****.
13:12Screw it up.
13:14I love you, Dad. You're done.
13:16We need Greg to take over.
13:18Go rest your back.
13:22The pressure to get mining has driven a wedge
13:24between father and son.
13:26It's just frustrating.
13:31Todd and I both own that D8.
13:33It shows disrespect, you know,
13:35to tell me that I can't use my own piece of equipment,
13:38you know.
13:40I say, screw them.
13:42As the rock cools off, Greg Remsburg takes over.
13:46I love my dad. I'm not trying to get mean,
13:48but he doesn't have a...
13:50We lay out a plan, and we gotta stick to it.
13:56Without warning, Jack loads up and speeds off the claim.
14:01Todd and I, we've had our ups and downs,
14:04but I'm not the kind of person that you push around, you know.
14:08I will not have disrespect, you know.
14:11I won't put up with it, you know, and it won't carry on.
14:15It's better for me to just leave.
14:22While the Huffman crew implodes,
14:24600 miles south at the Big Nugget mine,
14:27Parker Schnabel rallies his crew.
14:3024 hours after they ignored his order to run dirt,
14:33Parker proposes a plan to boost profits.
14:37I think my grandpa's always given you a $2 an hour bonus
14:41at the end of the year if you stay the season.
14:44And I'm gonna go ahead and keep that policy as minimum.
14:49If we have a good season, we'll do a 10% profit share,
14:54so 5% for each of you.
14:56Cool.
14:58It really gives us a good incentive to work.
15:01That makes it a challenge
15:03to see if we can strike something good.
15:06I think that it will make a big difference.
15:09I think that we'll see them take it a little more personal
15:13and try to make us some money.
15:18In just 4 days, Parker will do his weekly clean-out.
15:22His crew wastes no time
15:24loading more of the 20-year-old tailings they know hold gold.
15:29It is morning at Quartz Creek, and Jack is nowhere to be found.
15:34Lord, thanks for another day.
15:37I just asked you to keep Jack safe on the road.
15:41I don't know where my dad went.
15:44He got mad at me last night.
15:47I think I might have been a little disrespectful to him,
15:51and I feel bad about that.
15:54Maybe I was right, but I probably did it in the wrong way.
15:59I ask that you give Todd strength as our leader.
16:03Thanks for this day, in Jesus' name, amen.
16:06Amen.
16:08This is our last chance.
16:11This is it, so I want it done right.
16:15It's for him, not just for me.
16:18It's his dream.
16:20Jim Thurber heads off to find Jack.
16:24I'm trying to get a hold of Jack and try to calm him down
16:28and see exactly what went on.
16:31I mean, we've got to resolve it.
16:34It would be a total disaster if he leaves.
16:38Jim faces foreclosure on his home in Oregon
16:41if he doesn't find gold this year.
16:44This is my livelihood.
16:48This is my livelihood.
16:50We're all living here and got to deal with this stuff.
16:53But hopefully I can talk him down.
16:57But it may be too late.
17:00Jack has spent the night 45 miles away in a Dawson City motel.
17:05Todd and I have our ups and downs,
17:08but, you know, as far as it goes,
17:11if it turns into a conflict
17:15where I'm going to be so pissed off at him
17:18or he gets pissed off at me,
17:21I'm not going to stay there.
17:24It's Jack's dream to strike it rich mining for gold.
17:28Todd and the rest of the crew left their lives behind to follow him.
17:32They found almost nothing last season
17:35and are 24 days into the second season with no gold in sight.
17:39If Jack and Todd can't settle their differences,
17:42this could be the end of the road.
17:55Out with the old, in with the new.
17:57In Porcupine Creek, Dakota Fred and his crew remove the old trommel.
18:02It's just too inefficient, too wimpy for what we're going to be doing.
18:06It's the last piece of the Hoffman's wash plan.
18:10It's now history as far as we're concerned. It's out of here.
18:14Break that dude up.
18:18There, watch it, watch it, watch it.
18:23Fred plans to put in his own system,
18:26but his new wash plant is still on the way up to the claim.
18:29The only piece of equipment he has at Porcupine
18:32is a small clean-out trommel,
18:35but it just might be enough to get Fred started.
18:40Now we're just setting up this clean-up trommel.
18:43We've got our housekeeping stuff done,
18:45and we're ready to see some gold stuff.
18:48Fred found dirt in the Hoffman's junked wash plant,
18:52pay dirt that Todd and Jack didn't process before they left the claim.
18:57The Hoffman's left us a little gift,
19:00a little housewarming gift in this material,
19:03and maybe there's a little gold in there.
19:06Very gold, because we didn't do anything to get to it.
19:09We're just going to process it.
19:11This is just leftover sitting around stuff.
19:13Maybe a little gold in there.
19:15With crew on site, Fred's burning $700 a day.
19:19He needs gold,
19:21and running dirt the Hoffman's didn't process could be a quick fix.
19:31While Fred gets set to run the Hoffman's dirt,
19:34Todd and Jack's dream of striking it rich is in jeopardy.
19:38Now 25 days into the season, they are nowhere close to mining.
19:43As Todd levels the ground, Jack is still not on the claim.
19:48It has been 24 hours since he abruptly left.
19:53I hope he didn't head home or something,
19:55because he gets to where he kind of goes his own way.
19:59This is his dream, you know,
20:01so it's become all of our dream too,
20:04and it wouldn't be right if we went ahead without him.
20:09The Hoffman crew has yet to see a flake of gold this season,
20:13and time is running out.
20:15I don't want to look back and say, well, we could have done that.
20:18But finally,
20:20Jim Thurber returns from his trip to find Jack,
20:24and he's not alone.
20:27I'm going to go talk to Todd.
20:29We're going to put an end to this.
20:33If the Hoffman's crew has any chance of getting back on track,
20:37Todd and Jack have to resolve their differences.
20:43Hey, your papa, he's waiting for you.
20:45You guys need to talk.
20:47I'll be over there in a little while, as soon as I get done here.
20:50All right.
20:53For Jim, it's especially hard to see Jack and Todd fight.
20:57I brought you some food.
21:01Well, it's pretty tough to see father and son
21:05do what you guys are doing.
21:07Thank you for caring.
21:09It just brings back memories that I can't fix.
21:15My dad and I, we're going to talk things out.
21:23Next thing, I get a call from the hospital that my dad is dying,
21:26and I see you.
21:28Yep.
21:30You got to take the opportunities that you get.
21:33You never know.
21:35Might not be another chance, you know.
21:39I don't mean to get in your business,
21:41but it affects all of us, so...
21:44Oh, I feel bad.
21:46Me and him got in a fight, so...
21:53Hey, I just wanted to apologize.
21:55I didn't... I was a little out of line yesterday
21:58and disrespected you, and I didn't mean to.
22:01I just wanted to apologize.
22:03I'm sorry.
22:06I understand that, and I'll tell you why.
22:08Here's the way I look at it, too.
22:10If it turns into an argument,
22:12I'm just going to walk away,
22:14because I just don't want that.
22:16It's not worth it, and so, you know, that's the deal.
22:20No arguing, I don't want to do it.
22:23I'm just going to walk away,
22:25because I just don't want that.
22:27It's not worth it, and so, you know, that's the deal.
22:31No arguing, I don't want to do it.
22:35You know what, I was pretty disrespectful to my father.
22:38I love him, and we love each other,
22:40and that's more important than stupid coal mining,
22:43but coal mining isn't stupid.
22:45With things patched up for now,
22:47Todd and Jack head to the trailer.
22:50In Jack's absence, Todd has run the numbers.
22:53Here's the long and the short of it, Dad.
22:55We made a lot of mistakes last year,
22:57and I don't want to do that again.
22:59I want us to come out of here winners.
23:01I do, too.
23:03I do, too.
23:05We got to run it a little leaner, a little meaner.
23:08That's why I want to figure out
23:10what it's going to take just to break even.
23:12So running costs.
23:14I'm guessing an average of 1,000 bucks a day,
23:17and then I'm guessing we got 125 days of mining.
23:20So you got $125,000.
23:22What does that figure out in gold?
23:24What do we get at?
23:26You're looking at about 65 to 70 ounces.
23:29That would work, you know, but that's just a minimum.
23:33I know.
23:35That's just running costs,
23:37and beyond that, it's just all profit.
23:40I'd like to get way beyond, you know, 100 ounces.
23:43This is it.
23:45I've thrown all my cards in that pot.
23:47Yep, I'm with you.
23:49Let's do it.
23:51For the Hoffman crew to make any money this season,
23:54they need to dig up over 70 ounces in gold
23:57from the Quartz Creek claim.
23:59The only problem is
24:01they have no idea where that gold is.
24:12Up at Quartz Creek in the Klondike,
24:15the race is on to get to the gold.
24:18The Hoffman crew needs at least 70 ounces,
24:21and their season is slowly slipping away.
24:24What do you think?
24:26Their new $40,000 wash plant is on site,
24:29but it's on the wrong side of the claim.
24:33I thought I could grab the plant and drag it down
24:36so we can put it together.
24:38The wash plant sits just off the Quartz Creek road.
24:42The Hoffmans have to move it next to the creek
24:45near the virgin ground they plan to mine.
24:48There are 300 yards of rocky terrain
24:51to its final resting spot,
24:53but Jack is convinced there is a shorter route
24:56through mud and trees.
24:5924 Stunden nach dem Ausfall
25:01werden Todd und Jack getestet.
25:04Ja, ich denke, wir sollten durch den Stein.
25:07Nein, es geht einfach durch den Stein.
25:10Durch den Bunker? Ich versichere es dir.
25:13Der Dozer geht kaum durch.
25:15Nein, es geht einfach durch.
25:17Wir werden sehen.
25:19Los geht's.
25:21Das ist der direkte Weg.
25:24Ich habe versucht, ihn über den Stein zu beruhigen,
25:27aber er meinte, es geht besser durch hier.
25:30Ich weiß es nicht.
25:32Halt an.
25:34Halt an!
25:40Stopp, stopp, stopp!
25:43Oh, mein Gott.
25:47Das funktioniert nicht sehr gut.
25:50Die vorderste Seite des Waschplans
25:52wird im tiefen Müll befestigt.
25:55Weiter.
25:58Hey, du musst das Blech hochheben.
26:01Du musst nur die eine Seite hier hochheben.
26:05Aber diesmal können Vater und Sohn zusammenarbeiten.
26:09Du wolltest das Blech hochhalten.
26:12Also komm ein bisschen näher.
26:14Okay.
26:16Verdammt.
26:18Das ist, was wir tun werden.
26:20Alles klar?
26:25Now we're getting somewhere.
26:32Yes.
26:34Yeah.
26:36It's working, man.
26:38It's working.
26:40Look at that.
26:45I guarantee you right now,
26:47we're the only idiots in the world right now
26:50at this point in time
26:52to bring the wash plant through the jungle.
26:55This isn't like standard operating procedures for anything.
26:59Bring it over here.
27:01The plan works,
27:03and the wash plant is pushed the last few yards
27:06into its final position for the season.
27:09Keep going.
27:11That's pretty good right there.
27:13How's that?
27:15I like it.
27:17This looks freaking sweet.
27:19I didn't think that the muddy route was going to work,
27:22but the old man pulled it off.
27:25I need to learn how to be more of an encourager
27:28than just, you know, a complainer.
27:35At Porcupine Creek, Dakota Fred is convinced
27:38there's a big payday in the dirt the Hoffens left behind.
27:44But his water pump is not fitting his small clean-out trommel.
27:48We have another pump.
27:50Paul's looking to see if he can make some modifications.
27:53He's up there trying to change parts on it right now.
27:56It needs a part he doesn't have.
27:59Without a working pump,
28:01Fred won't be able to wash any gold from the dirt.
28:06We're living out here in the middle of the woods.
28:09It's not like you can just run over to your local hardware store
28:12and pick something up.
28:14It doesn't work that way.
28:16Fred heads across the creek to Big Nugget Mine
28:19to see if 16-year-old Parker Schnabel has the spare part he needs.
28:26Good luck. You got it running?
28:28Yeah.
28:30All right.
28:32Good, man. I need a favor.
28:34What do you need?
28:36You got anything like an inch and a quarter nipple?
28:38It's a gold mine.
28:40In 25 years of mining,
28:42the Schnabels have amassed a stockpile of parts.
28:46Let's see what you got.
28:48Oh, there it is.
28:50I think that's inch and a quarter.
28:52That is exactly what I need.
28:54Right there. Perfect.
28:56Perfect. Got it.
28:58No problem.
29:00Thank you.
29:02Good luck. You gonna be running soon?
29:04No, not right now.
29:06We're just trying to get things set up.
29:08Fred's a good guy.
29:10He gets himself in trouble sometimes.
29:12But that's just the way Fred is.
29:14It's not close. It's competitive.
29:21I'm hoping to see it work,
29:23and I want to see some gold for the first time.
29:25Got it.
29:27Parker's part fits.
29:29Here we go.
29:33And the water finally flows
29:35through the clean-out trommel.
29:37We feed it in this chamber here.
29:39It flows into an inner chamber.
29:41Then it goes out into an outer chamber,
29:44comes forward, drops out,
29:46and goes into this spruce box right here.
29:5025 days into the short Alaskan mining season,
29:54Fred and his crew just might find
29:56their first gold of the year
29:58in a pile of the Hoffmans' old dirt.
30:00After this is all over with,
30:02we'll take that concentrate,
30:04and we'll pan it out.
30:06We hope we got a little gold in it, too.
30:1427 days into the mining season,
30:17Parker Schnabel runs the last dirt of the week
30:20at the Big Nugget mine.
30:22It's Friday today,
30:24so we're going to clean out the whole plant.
30:27Four days since offering his crew a pay incentive,
30:30they've loaded 100 buckets of Grandpa's old tailings
30:33into the wash plant.
30:35I'm washing the gold out of the bearings,
30:37through the screen, into the pan below.
30:41It takes a little bit of eye practice
30:44to discern the gold from the yellow rocks.
30:47I've been doing it enough now
30:49that I'm confident that I'm picking all of it.
30:59This is Parker's first weekly clean-out
31:01as the boss of the Big Nugget mine.
31:05The gold there.
31:08Parker's decision to run the dirt
31:10his grandpa threw away 20 years ago
31:13looks like it's paying off.
31:16It is addictive.
31:18After you see the results of the gold
31:20come out of the material, it makes it all worth it.
31:23I think the profit-sharing thing this year
31:25is a very exciting thing for us,
31:27and I think it makes us a good team.
31:30This is our first full week of running,
31:32and we've gotten 6 or 7 ounces.
31:36In one week, we've almost gotten
31:38half of what the Hoffmans got all year.
31:42So that's not bad.
31:44In their rookie season of mining at Porcupine Creek,
31:47the Hoffmans made just $20,000.
31:5016-year-old Parker has made almost $11,000
31:54in just his first week.
31:56He's on track to make nearly $200,000
31:59in his first full season
32:01as the boss of the Big Nugget mine.
32:06While Parker counts his gold,
32:08the Hoffmans scramble to catch up back in Quartz Creek.
32:12Their new wash plant is still in pieces.
32:15Todd positions the hydraulic riffles
32:17that he hopes will collect fine gold
32:19from the dirt they run.
32:21If I drop one of these, we're straight screwed.
32:26You're looking at a week or two to rebuild this.
32:29Any more delays, and the season could be over.
32:33The Hoffmans need $1,000 a day in gold
32:36just to cover their operating costs for the year.
32:39This is all the stuff I wanted to have done
32:41before we brought this up here,
32:43but it's just the way it is.
32:45We don't have extra parts up here,
32:47so gotta take care of what we got.
32:50To attach the hydraulic riffles,
32:52the miners must lower pipes on either side
32:55into semicircular cups on the wash plant frame.
32:58This pivot point will allow for movement
33:01and support when the plant is operational.
33:05Okay, stay clear.
33:07Come up there.
33:09Coming down.
33:11Easy. Keep coming.
33:14Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
33:17Slow down.
33:19Watch it, watch it. Whoa!
33:23It's hitting.
33:25The pipe connection on the riffle
33:27is hitting the support beam on the wash plant.
33:31What in the heck?
33:34The support, or I-beam,
33:36is part of the frame that gives the wash plant its strength.
33:39Jack comes up with a radical solution.
33:42Cut out a chunk of the beam
33:44so the riffle can slide into place.
33:46My dad's doing something.
33:48I don't know what he's doing.
33:50What's he doing, Greg?
33:52You're not gonna be happy when you see it.
33:55Is it gonna hurt the machine?
33:58Well, we didn't really need the I-beams anyway, did we?
34:02He's not cutting in the I-beam. There's no way.
34:05Cutting the I-beam could compromise
34:08the wash plant's structural integrity,
34:10but Jack is on a mission.
34:12What the prick?
34:14That's a main I-beam there, Dad. Stop.
34:17That looks like part of the structure there.
34:21I mean, I'm no rocket scientist, but that's the I-beam, Dad.
34:25Yeah, no kidding.
34:27Another fallout between father and son
34:30could be disastrous for the crew.
34:32You know what? I'm just not gonna say anything.
34:35I'm just gonna forget it.
34:38Not good.
34:40Looks like a fiasco,
34:43but for the sake of unity,
34:46I'm not gonna say anything.
34:49It is 27 days into the Hoffman crew's second mining season,
34:54and time is running out.
34:57Todd and Jack have to get 70 ounces of gold
35:00before they can even think of turning a profit.
35:03But they can't mine without a working wash plant.
35:06That's a main I-beam there, Dad. Stop.
35:09They can't fit their hydraulic riffles into the machine.
35:12No, just let her down.
35:15I'm doing good. She's gonna be calm.
35:18Take her easy.
35:20Jack stops cutting into the I-beam,
35:22one of the wash plant's main supports,
35:25as Jim Thurber has another solution.
35:28That one's just too far back.
35:30To match that side, it needs to be 15 1⁄4.
35:33All right, so you want to cut this off and move it back.
35:3615 1⁄4?
35:38Yeah.
35:41All right, so you want to cut this off and move it back.
35:45If Jim is right,
35:47the short pipe on the riffle is in the wrong place.
35:50Jack cuts it off.
35:521⁄4. Here, let me get 15 1⁄4.
35:59Okay, coming up.
36:04Coming in.
36:06Getting close, right?
36:08About two more inches in.
36:13Whoo!
36:15Rewelding the pipe further forward
36:17allows the hydraulic riffle to slip into place.
36:20That should do it.
36:22Turned into a bigger deal than what we thought.
36:25But it's on there. It's done.
36:27Looks good. It'll work.
36:30At Porcupine Creek,
36:32Dakota Fred and his crew
36:34have processed the dirt the Hoffmans left behind.
36:37They pan it looking for their first payday.
36:40Watch this technique here.
36:42Fred shows Greenhorn's Dustin and Darren how to pan.
36:46Isn't that more comfortable using both hands?
36:48It's killing you. You can't not touch it.
36:50No. No. I mean...
36:52I mean, like it or not,
36:54you can't touch it.
36:56No. No. I mean...
36:58I mean, like that.
37:00There you go. Now you got something going.
37:02I don't know what I'm doing. I'm starting to learn, though.
37:05I don't want to let nothing get over the edge on me.
37:08And they both learn fast.
37:10What is this?
37:12Did you find something?
37:14I did.
37:16Oh, there it is.
37:18A picker!
37:20That's what you call a picker.
37:22Yeah!
37:24That's what gold looks like right there.
37:26So that's why I'm here.
37:29Bring it out here.
37:31This gold will only cover costs for the day.
37:34But finding the first gold of the season
37:36in the Hoffmans' dirt
37:38is sweet for the Dakota boys.
37:44Man, it's been a hard day.
37:47That was a good ending to a hard day, though.
37:50Yeah, for you.
37:52Look, it's Parker.
37:54What, we got a visit?
37:56Parker's gonna show us what they've been collecting.
37:58Oh, no!
38:00What's up there, fellow miner?
38:02Parker Schnabel stops by to show Fred and his crew
38:06what a real gold haul is.
38:10Now that's... that's a nice day.
38:13That nugget's a third of an ounce.
38:16I'd love to be able to get a pan of gold like that
38:19even in a week right now, as far as I can tell.
38:23It's pretty encouraging to see a lot of gold out here
38:26just up the creek.
38:28He's coming with his nugget.
38:30Dakota Fred and his crew may have had their first payday,
38:33but they've got a long way to go
38:35to catch up to Parker's 7-ounce one-week haul.
38:43600 miles north at Quartz Creek,
38:46the only gold the Hoffmans have found
38:49is in the pans of Todd's sons, Hunter and Hudson.
38:58Look at that. That's a piece of gold.
39:01The kids' gold is proof that there is gold in this ground,
39:05but the Hoffman crew is still far from mining it.
39:10I have a lot of pressure on me,
39:12because I gotta make this blue wash plant
39:15because there's a lot of money this year.
39:17There's more than just me.
39:19There's a lot of guys and a lot of families counting on us.
39:22They drag their wash plant across the claim
39:25and attach the hydraulic riffles,
39:27but haven't checked any of the other moving parts.
39:30They may still be weeks away from a clean-out.
39:33Basically, this is our last chance.
39:35We're running out of money, and we've got to do well.
39:38And so if we don't make it this summer, we're done.
39:41About to begin their fifth week of the mining season,
39:44the Hoffman crew is only slightly closer to finding gold.
39:48In a make-or-break year,
39:50this is not where any of these men had expected to be.
39:53If there's no gold here,
39:55that means that I may be stuck here in the Yukon,
39:58me and my boy. I can't even afford to get home.
40:02It's not just about me, but that's my situation.
40:07You know, we go to a new place,
40:09it's all a matter of getting set up.
40:11And you know, it takes some time.
40:13I might lose half my year. I might have to go back home.
40:19It's been a struggle already this year,
40:22so we don't need more of a struggle.
40:26Right now, this is really it.
40:29This is all I have in my future.
40:34You kind of find the measure of a man when things are down.
40:37It might take a little longer than I thought.
40:40There'll be maybe a few more fights, but you know what?
40:43We're gonna make it happen, man.
40:52I'm Chris Stowe-Doyle, executive producer of Gold Rush.
40:55I sat down with Todd and Jack
40:57to get the inside story on their big fight.
40:59It about tore our family apart.
41:01So Jack gives up. We got big problems.
41:04He gives up and packs up. We're done.
41:07Watch the Gold Rush After Show at discovery.com
41:09slash goldrushaftershow.